BILL REIBOLDT: Puppies, prisoners help each other in program

On a recent visit to the Jefferson City Correctional Center (JCCC), I learned of a special program—”Puppies for Parole”—being used at Missouri’s correctional facilities.

This program is made possible through a partnership with animal shelters statewide, and its purpose is to make rescued dogs adoptable.  When the dogs enter the program, they are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and given other needed health care treatments. “Puppies for Parole” uses no state general revenue funds, as it operates solely on private donations from organizations or from inmates themselves.

Selected offenders have the opportunity to become trainers to rescued dogs and are given instruction before being assigned a dog. The dog actually lives in the cell with its trainer, and both are together twenty-four hours a day. The offender provides the dog with its daily training and exercise and is responsible for the dog’s overall care. The dogs are taught basic obedience skills and some social skills, which make them more adoptable. Usually there are no more than two dogs to a cellblock. The dogs get their social skills from interacting with their trainers and other inmates in the cellblocks.

The original plan was that once the dogs successfully completed the training program — generally within six to eight weeks — they would be returned to the shelters and placed up for adoption. However, this program has been so successful there is actually a waiting list to adopt these specially trained dogs. Most never even go back to a shelter.

“Puppies for Parole” is having a profound effect on inmates by helping them improve their behaviors and giving them the incentive to maintain excellent conduct records. Even offenders who are not directly involved in the program are taking a positive part in the activity by supporting and donating their limited funds to this program. Also, staff morale has been enhanced by the presence of the dogs. 

Last winter, someone dumped 10 newborn puppies in a Jefferson City park during extremely cold weather. The local animal shelter was unable to accept them because of intense around-the-clock care they required. Consequently, all 10 puppies were sent to the prison, where inmates bottle-fed them and gave them the required care.  A correction’s officer who observed this stated, “You can’t normally show affection in here. You don’t give any; you don’t get any. It will be interesting to see what these dogs teach us.”

I had the opportunity to observe two young men and their dogs at the JCCC, when I was invited into their cellblock to watch as they took the dogs through their obedience maneuvers. One inmate had a young black Labrador retriever that was energetic and wanted to play. With the training, though, the dog demonstrated remarkable obedience. The other inmate had a mixed breed dog what had been taken off the streets of Kansas City. This was an older female dog that was not quite as energetic as the black Lab, but she also demonstrated impressive obedience skills. Both of these dogs have now been adopted by new owners and will mostly likely make good companions. 

Fifteen of our 20 correctional facilities in the state trains dogs, one of which was a deaf canine trained to respond to hand signals and was ultimately adopted by the School of the Deaf.  To date, there have been over 500 dogs trained by Missouri prison inmates.

As they look to the future of the “Puppies for Parole” program, the corrections department is working to form a partnership with children’s medical centers and hospitals across the state.  Research has shown that dogs have a tremendous therapeutic affect in the treatment of autistic children, and the department is working with pediatricians to partner dogs with these children. The correction’s department is also working with the Missouri Veteran’s Association, and is already placing trained dogs in Missouri’s veteran’s homes. Trained therapeutic dogs have proven to be successful in the care of geriatric patients, and especially men patients. A third partnership is with the Missouri National Guard, who is pairing trained dogs with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

We are grateful to the Missouri Correction’s Department for this program and the positive affect it has had, not only by saving dogs, but also with the impact it has had on the offenders and the difference it has made in the atmospheres of our prisons. It is our hope that this program will continue to grow and benefit those in need of the canine’s assistance and companionship.
 
Bill Reiboldt represents the people of Newton County in the Missouri House of Representatives.